Scorched
by Natalie Goodman
Summary: '"Anna passed away," they told her, "It's better that way. She can't hurt you again." "Why don't you hate her, Elsa? Look what she did to your beautiful face." they frowned, "We're not talking about her again."' In which Elsa's coronation is ruined, Anna melts a frozen heart, and the heat never bothered her, anyway. AU. Eventual Kristanna.
1. Such a Pretty Face

"Anna."

"Mm?"

"It's cold in my room. Can I sleep with you?" Elsa cocked her head, looking at her younger sister.

"Sure! Just don't tell Mommy and Daddy." Anna pulled the covers up and patted the mattress.

Elsa grinned, toddling toward her. Mommy would be kinda angry if she knew she was in here without supervision. It didn't matter, though; the sisters were bestest friends and nothing could tear them apart. Not even the things Anna could do. In fact, Elsa loved the things she could do.

'_Why is it that you can do that, but I can't?'_ she would ask, staring up in wonder. Anna would shrug,_ 'Dunno. It'd be so great if you could, though!'_

Elsa curled into Anna's impossibly warm body. "Do the thing." she whispered, giggling, "Pleaaaase?"

Anna rolled her eyes, "I'm tired, Elsie… but _fiiine_. Only 'cause it's too dark in here." Sitting up, Anna brought her hands together and felt her palms warm up, a tiny flame greeting the two as she opened her hands.

"Doesn't it hurt?"

"You've asked me a thousand bajillion times, Elsa. It doesn't even touch me, see? It's floatin'! But, it can hurt if you really touch it, so don't, okie doke?" Elsa nodded and stared at the tiny fire morph into a large flame, shooting into the air like fireworks.

"It's beautiful… do it again!" the older child laughed, "Do the colors!"

Anna nodded, the flames making lovely shapes and changing hues of blue, red, white and green. Elsa giggled, egging her on to make more spectacular lights. "Hold on, Elsie, I'm trying! It's g-getting… oh!"

The curtains caught fire, the rugs following suit. Anna screamed, the flames bursting from her hands. "Elsa, get the water! Quick!"

"No time, Anna! We need to get out!"

"No, Elsa, I can stop it, don't- _don't touch me!_"

The fire burst from her palms, and Elsa screamed.

"Mom, Daddy! _Help!_" Anna screamed, pushing her hands into the water bowl on her night table even if it seered her hands like thousands of paper cuts. "Mommy, please!"

They burst into the room, flames licking at the ceiling, Anna weeping, Elsa screaming in pain.

"Anna! What have you done!" her mother yelled, horrified at the monster her second born had turned out to be.

"D-don't yell at me!" Anna sobbed, a ring of fire surrounding her on the carpet. "Stay _away!_"

"Get Elsa to the infirmary. I'll get Anna." their father instructed his wife and watching her grab their daughter, calling for guards. He looked to Anna, trying not to show fear. "Anna. Put it out. Now."

"N-no! I… I don't know how, Daddy! It… it won't stop!" Anna wiped her eyes, hands blackened and smoking. The fire seemed to engulf her, yet left the small girl unharmed, as if protecting it's master.

"Anna, _stop_!"

The flames consumed the room, and the only thing he could do was shut the door and run.

xXxXxXxXx

"_Anna passed away,"_ they told her, _"It's better that way. She can't hurt you again."_

"_Why don't you hate her, Elsa? Look what she did to your beautiful face." _they frown, _"We're not talking about her again."_

Elsa wiped her eyes, going back to playing with her dolls. Anna's death had been labelled a careless one, the toppling of a lit candle. Everyone was just happy that their future queen, Elsa, was safe, even if she'd always have a burn scar on her jaw to remind her. _'She's still so beautiful,'_ they said, _'It's a shame such a pretty face has such a reminder of despair.'_

Elsa stared at the mirror and brushed the left side of her jaw, the handprint-like mangled skin sending a wave of anguish over her. It wasn't Anna's fault. She shouldn't have asked her to do the magic. She should have just stayed in her bed. Why didn't she stay in her bed?

xXxXxXx

"P-please, let me out! I promise, I'll be good! I can control it, see?" Anna begged, the six year old weeping and showing her bare, blackened palms.

"Anna, we can't risk it. You could burn down the kingdom!"

"At l-least let me see Elsa-!"

"Elsa doesn't know you're still here, Anna." The Queen whispered, "You would put her in danger."

"B-but, Mama!"

"No _buts!_"

xXxXxXxXx

Elsa often hears crying from Anna's room, but she tells herself it's just her imagination being cruel. The door remains locked, as always. No one is allowed in.

No one is allowed out.

xXxXxXxXx

"Anna?" Elsa snuck over to the room one night, "I might be crazy, but I miss you. Sometimes I wonder… if you're still in there."

Anna sniffed, pressed against the door. "E-Elsa?" Mom and Daddy would kill her if they knew about this, but she had to talk to someone. Anyone.

"A-Anna!" Elsa quickly covered her mouth, not wanting to alert any guards. "Anna, are you okay? You're… you're not dead?"

"Of course not! You of all people know I'm fine with fire! Mom and Daddy are afraid I'll hurt you again. So… I have to stay here. And be quiet. It's okay, though! They bring me cookies and dollies and everything I could ever want."

"Anna… that's not okay! They told everyone you were dead! They told me to… forget about you… to hate you for what happened." Elsa let her tears fall, listening to her sister's voice for the first time in over a year.

"...Elsa, I think you should go. I gotta go to sleep, anyways." Anna sighed, angry flames dancing on her palms. Of course. She knew she was a monster, hurting her sister like that. She was painfully reminded of the reason she was locked away; it was better this way. For everyone.

"W-what? But I just got here!"

"Please, Elsa. And… don't come back."

xXxXxXxXx


	2. Chocolates and Krumkake

"You told me she was dead! You lied to me!" Elsa screeched, tears burning down her cheeks, eyes stinging. Her parents stood and watched her scream, stoic in their harsh and scolding glares.

"Elsa, we told you never to go near her room-"

"Anna! Her name is Anna! Why won't you ever say her name? She's your daughter!"

"It's okay, Elsa." Anna walked into the room, looking around the throne room desperately, not having been there for years. "I'm… I was going to the bathroom, and I heard my name…" she trailed off, shrugging. Elsa went to hug her, but paused. Her dress was burnt, eyes black and blue. Skin on her left leg was mutated in a burn scar. This couldn't be Anna. This wasn't the little sister she'd missed for so long.

"Anna, I think it'd be best if you went to the potty and back to your room. We'll bring you dinner soon. Don't let the servants see you." The Queen of Arendelle nodded, knuckles white, looking between her daughters.

"Yes, Mama."

Anna turned and left, and, with angry tears on her rosy cheeks, Elsa didn't try to stop her.

xXxXxXxXx

"Anna?" Elsa asked timidly, knocking gently, "I got you some chocolates and krumkake. Your favorites, remember?"

The air remained still and silent.

"...Anna, we can go skating… make marshmallow sandwiches? I used to love toasting marshmallows with you. You can make the lights, if you want! We… we can go outside, or… just… talk." The young princess sighed, sliding to the ground. "Anna, I miss you."

The choked sob that her words were met with was the only response she'd gotten in three weeks.

xXxXxXxXx

"Anna, you have to learn to control this."

"Daddy, I… I don't know how! I'm scared!" She reached for a hug, but he backed away.

"Use these. Conceal it, Anna. You need to learn to stop. Learn, don't… don't burn."

Anna pulled the gloves over her hands, tilting her head. "...okay, Daddy."

xXxXxXxXx

"C-come back soon, okay?" the young woman said softly, red hair messy and braided back.

"Gerda is going to bring your meals and check on you while we're away. Do not leave the room, understand?"

"Yes, father." Anna sighed, resigned, watching them leave without a hug or a simple 'goodbye'.

Down the hall, Elsa hugged them tight and let them leave without a word.

xXxXxXxXx

The funeral was short.

Elsa stood between her parents' grave markers, though their bodies lost at sea. A sick, twisted part of her was happy they were gone. Maybe Anna would be able to leave her room. Maybe she'd be allowed outside. Maybe they could talk.

That was not the case.

"Anna?" Elsa knocked, dressed in her mourning attire. "Please, I know you're in there. Please answer me. I can't… do this… on my own. You can't, either. I'm here for you, Anna. I'm still your big sister, and no one is holding you back, anymore. You can come out."

Anna wept openly on the other side of the door, flames enveloping the barren room.

Elsa cried with her.

xXxXxXxXx

The swing outside her room was her favorite thing about her limited space. She could look over the kingdom without being seen, look out at the fjord. Sometimes she'd catch glimpses of Elsa, being taught to ride horses or studying on the grass.

Or, sometimes, it was just nice to feel the wind in her hair.

Anna frowned. Looking at the ships coming in, her nerves frayed and a shiver ran up her spine. She was to come out of her room tonight, to go to the ballroom and join the party. Not as the princess, of course. Gerda and Kai had the plan etched in stone in her mind. She was Annabelle of the Eastern Isles. Very new kingdom, just starting out. She's a friend of a friend of a friend of one of the princes' mothers.

It would be okay tonight. They wouldn't let anything happen to her.

Her hair was up, green dress comfortable and (hopefully) flame resistant. Every burn scar was covered by makeup or material, and for the first time in forever, she felt beautiful.

xXxXxXxXx

The gates opened, and she nearly peed.

Elsa was staring at her; she could feel her eyes on her back. But, she couldn't face her. Not yet. Not now.

She took a careful step, staring at all the people bursting into the castle. Her palms began to heat, but she keep her hands in fists. Even with the gloves, her power was still an issue.

Her steps awkward, face pained and confused, she made her way around the kingdom, a stranger to the beautiful land she'd lived in all her life.

Right when she thought she had the hang of things, her body was thrust backwards.

"I'm- I'm so sorry, m'lady!" the redheaded stranger apologized profusely, hopping off his horse to offer her his hand. She took it carefully, terrified of burning him. However, her hand stayed a (hopefully) normal temperature and the boy- no, man?- didn't flinch, or pull his hand back in pain. He simply looked at her, eyes kind and smile warm. She bite her lip, an action which shook the man out of his stupor. "Excuse me for not introducing myself! I am Prince Hans, of the Southern Isles. And you?"

Anna's throat closed. "Anna..na… Annabelle of the… Eastern Isles!"

"Eastern Is-?"

"Underdeveloped kingdom. Waaaaaaaay off the map. But, it exists!"

Hans smiled softly at her, and she was positive, in that moment, that this was what love must feel like.


	3. Coloring Books

The trumpets sounded, and, before she knew what was happening, she was swept in through the gates and pushed to the ceremony hall, sitting next to the beautiful prince she'd so recently encountered. Elsa's eyes were boring into her, but Anna stared at the ground, wringing her fingers. Elsa would be a good queen. And, once she was busy attending to her kingdom and her royal duties, she wouldn't possibly notice if Anna slipped out, one day, and left to keep everyone safe. Maybe she could go far away, past the North Volcano, out of Arendelle. Somewhere warmer.

Somewhere like, perhaps, the Southern Isles.

The plan was already formulating in her head by the time the audience was clapping. She looked up, studying Elsa's face, her beautiful blonde hair which was once the trademark of the royal family, all but her. They'd always wondered where Anna's fiery red hair came from. Well, not always. But the time she was three, they had a pretty clear idea.

"Dance, m'lady?" Hans asked, charming, beautiful. Anna thought a moment, looking back to Elsa.

"Soon. I'd like to congratulate the newly crowned queen, first. Be riiight back!" With a dreamy sigh, she turned away, the floating giddiness soon replaced with guilt, terror. She had to do this. She could be married off, be free, god, she could be free-

"...Annabelle." Elsa winked, grinning widely. Anna forced a small smile, curtseying.

"Your Majesty."

"I've missed you." She mumbled, lowering her eyes, "You look absolutely beautiful."

Anna scoffed, but coughed. "I… you look lovely. Beautifullest- I… I mean not…_ fullest_; you're very slim and-"

"Anna…" Elsa spoke softly, touching the younger's cheek, to which Anna flinched and backed away.

"I'm… congratulations again, your Majesty! You throw a great party!"

xXxXxXxXx

"You're gorgeous, Annabelle." Hans pulled her in, leading them in their dance. Anna blushed, certain her cheeks must truly be on fire. "Where did you say you are from, again?"

"Eastern Isles. Totally war-torn. Barely functioning. You've probably never heard of it."

"And your royal connection?"

"I'm…" Shoot. Shoot. _Shoot_. "I'm…"

"Annabelle! Queen Elsa desires to see you, madame." Kai called and rushed her away. Hans frowned as she ran away, keeping an eye on her as the Queen pulled her away into another room. She must be important if Elsa wanted her company so bad. He smiled.

"What do you want, your Majesty?" Anna asked, and, though alone in the room, she felt more afraid than ever.

"Just… I've missed you." Elsa took her sister's face in her hands, "Let me look at you." she sighed, but, feeling Anna's cheeks begin to burn, she pulled away, "So. Who was that boy you were with?"

"My ticket out of here." Anna mumbled, not realizing she had spoken out loud.

"W-what?" Elsa stammered, grabbing her hands, "You can't… what are you talking about?"

Anna trembled, pulling her hands away, losing a glove in the process. "Give me the glove."

"No, Anna. Explain yourself!"

"I'm going to marry him and get myself away from here! Away from you!" She couldn't risk hurting her, anymore. Anna loved Elsa more than anything, she just didn't understand that she had to protect her. With that, Anna ran out into the ballroom, wincing at Elsa's actions.

_"Anna!_ Get back here!"

The entire room looked to the fiery redhead.

_'The lost princess? It can't be!' 'She was thought dead!' 'Princess Anna lives!'_

Anna's heart thumped loudly in her ears, a crowd of curious visitors surrounding her, backing her against the door. "S-stay away from me, please…"

A man grabbed her wrist, and she couldn't control herself.

"I said, get _away!"_ A ring of fire surrounded her, growing higher and higher until no one could see her. Panicking, she parted the flames and ran out the doors.

So many of her kindgom's people were waiting outside for their new queen, but as soon as they heard the screams from inside for Princess Anna, they all turned to her. Questions were thrown, gasps were heard; everyone wanted something from their lost princess.

She couldn't take it.

The moment her hand touched the fountain, the water boiled, sloshing out and nearly burning a village child.

"I'm- I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Children cried, people screamed and backed away in horror.

When Elsa's voice was heard, she had no choice. She ran.

With the fjord in her way, and no other place to turn, she tested it quickly. The water sizzled away, leaving white sand in it's wake.

She took off, the fjord parting for her every step.

By the time she was gone, it had dried up completely.

xXxXxXxXx

"We- we have to find my sister!"

"Your Majesty, we'll send guards af-"

"No." Elsa demanded, "I will find her. I will bring her back. Someone fetch my horse!"

Kai nodded, patted her shoulder, and left to the stables.

"Gerda, you and Kai are in charge. Be sure everyone gets enough water." she wiped at her brow, noticing the sudden onslaught of heat. Sure, it was summer, but with Anna's powers loose, she must have triggered a heat wave.

They got her horse, she mounted him, and away she went.

xXxXxXxXx

"They probably hate her. I bet Elsa hates me! I ruined her coronation. Who likes a stupid, screw-up sister who ruins your one-time-only coronation? Not me! Probably not Elsa, either…" Anna mumbled, kicking at the charred rock as she climbed the North Volcano. It… it was sort of nice here. "I think… this could work."

Anna stared at her hand for a moment; the scarred, burned palms and fingers.

She took off the remaining glove and stomped it into the ground.

"Okay, Anna. This is it. Let it all go." she breathed, mumbling to herself. Sparks of fire began to form above her palms, growing larger and larger. She threw them in the air, making colors, faces, patterns. She nearly smiled.

She stomped her foot again, and the crust of the volcano cracked. Lava seeped out, and she laughed. With a wave of a hand, it took shape, the shape of the small child who waited outside her door.

Her eyes lit up, "Your name is Els-... Elaine. Hello!"

The mound of lava didn't move, and Anna moved on.

With a flick of her wrist, the volcano crumbled and shaped at her will. Done was she just imagining the beautiful castles from her coloring books. She'd have her own.

Black outer crust, red, orange, yellows everywhere inside. Anna laughed, throwing down the pins in her hair, burning the constricting dress into a short, bright-as-fire-itself mini dress. Much better in this temperature, she was sure. Hair down, new dress, she felt like a new woman. Without holding back, she screamed out in joy.

"I am _never_ going back!"


End file.
